Materials:Acrylic paints or flat interior paint
Paintbrushes (of varying width)
Primer
Drop cloths
Clear polyurethane
Containers to hold rinse-water for brushes
Transparencies or stencil drawing (if not working free-hand)
Pencils
Painting a Trompe L'oeil Wall Mural
1. Place drop cloths on the floor.
2. It's best to work on a light-colored background or work from a canvas and later add the finished piece to your wall.
3. Prime the area and allow it to dry.
4. You can make use of an overhead projector by shining the image on the wall or surafce and sketch. The less detailed the image, the easier it is to sketch and paint. Make sure your proportions are correct for the size of the space you are painting in.
5. Paint the trompe l'oeil mural, doing the background first and layering the foreground images on top. Pay close attention to the shadowing of images for a more realistic effect.
6. Outline the foreground images with darker colors to bring out the edges. Periodically step back from the painting to check your progress and to check for errors.
7. It's best to seal the area with a clear polyurethane to increase the longevity of the piece. Allow the mural to dry completely.
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.diynetwork.com/DIY/2005/12/06/DTTR510_CloudyKarl_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.diynetwork.com/DIY/2005/12/06/DTTR510_PaintingExpertSteven_e.jpg",350,450))
![PHOTO](javascript:popup("http://img.diynetwork.com/DIY/2005/12/06/DTTR510_Finished1_e.jpg",350,450))
